Treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease with traditional Chinese medicine: An integrative medicine case report

Research on Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) and acupuncture, fundamental modalities of the comprehensive medical system of healthcare known as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), suggest that they are effective for treating neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS). Use of these treatments is currently limited for patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other types of dementia. This study reports the successful treatment of an elderly female patient with agitation, insomnia, depression, apathy, and anxiety relating to AD. An 86-year-old woman living in a nursing home who had severe agitation, aggressive behaviors, insomnia, and anxiety along with AD was treated with CHM and acupuncture for the remaining nearly 3 years of her life. Data was gathered from the nurses’ log notes and charts created to evaluate treatment efficacy. In the 90 days before CHM was administered, she had a total of 30 documented episodes of agitation not responsive to pharmaceutical medications given a total of 45 times. The episodes included physical aggression, insomnia, shouting, and bouts of crying. In the 90 days after starting CHM, she had a documented 7 episodes of agitation and was given pharmaceuticals a total of 6 times. CHM and acupuncture may alleviate agitation and other NPS such as insomnia, depression, agitation, apathy, and anxiety, and improve the quality of life in patients with AD.